MSC Meraviaglia to be based year-round in New York

In April, the MSC Meraviglia will make New York City her home port for voyages to New England, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean, marking the first time MSC Cruises has offered year-round departures from the United States’ most populous city.

Itineraries aboard the Meraviglia will range from six to eleven nights in length, with certain Caribbean cruises of seven or eight nights, including stops at Nassau and the cruise line’s exclusive island resort of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in The Bahamas.

There are also Northern America cruises that are 10 or 11 nights long and make stops in ports like Boston, Portland, Charlottetown, Halifax, Sydney NS, St. John, and Newport, in addition to Bermuda, where passengers can spend three days moored at King’s Wharf and several days at sea for relaxation.

The move is intended to increase MSC’s market share and allow passengers to prolong their vacation by spending time in New York before or after their cruise as part of bundled stay-and-sail deals.

Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said, “New York is one of the most incredible and vibrant destinations in the world, so by adding the city as a year-round homeport for MSC Meraviglia we are greatly enhancing our offering in North America. The itineraries will strongly appeal to our guests in the U.S. and international holidaymakers. Given the huge range of intercontinental flights to and from the Big Apple, these sailings will be accessible to guests worldwide.”

“We designed our mix of itineraries to take advantage of New York’s geographic flexibility so that our guests can soak up the sun in the Caribbean during the spring and winter seasons, head to Bermuda during the summer or go north to see Canada’s natural beauty in the autumn. And, of course, for those guests that wish to discover New York, there is the option to do so pre or post-their cruise to make the most out of their holiday.”

MSC Cruises is building the largest and most advanced cruise terminal in North America at PortMiami, which will be able to accommodate three of the line’s largest ships simultaneously once complete.

To ensure guests get the most out of their cruise holiday both ashore and once on board, MSC Cruises are developing new packages offering guests a complete end-to-end experience.

These full-service packages include a choice of convenient flights, a 4-star hotel with breakfast and other valuable services such as pre-cruise excursion, cruise pre-check-in at the hotel, luggage service from hotel to ship cabin and private port transfers. These attractive packages are designed to provide guests with a seamless and stress-free experience.

MSC’s 2023-2024 brochure is out now, featuring more than 140 destinations in more than 40 countries.